Fix it, Dad!

I am a believer that anything can be fixed. Maybe this is naïve. But no matter if it's the car, the toilet, or a strained relationship, it can be fixed. I suppose this comes from my Dad--his job is to fix things. If he can't fix it, well then no one can. My innate drive to fix things caused a humorous story. My freshman year in the dorm at Southern, I was cleaning the bathroom floor. I had a bucket, a rag, and a toothbrush. I went to dump the dirty water down the toilet, forgetting that the toothbrush was at the bottom. Thus, the toothbrush was now down the toilet. I was not reaching in there to fetch it, so for some inexplicable reason I flushed the toilet. Down went the toothbrush, up came the water, clogged became the toilet. I gasped. I called my dad. "DAD I flushed a toothbrush down the toilet and now the toilet is clogged! How do I get it out???" Uproarious laughter ensued. "It's not funny." More laughter. "You'll just have to fill out a report for maintenance." I was stubborn, "Noooo I can't do that! That's soo embarrassing! Please just tell me how to take apart the toilet so I can fix it myself." I ended up filling out a report and the man came with his snake to unclog the toilet, though I don't think he ever found out the reason for the clogged toilet.

When something broke I would take it to my dad. "Fix it!" But there were some occasions that it couldn't be fixed. He would tell me "This is the kind of plastic that doesn't glue or tape." I couldn't understand it! How could Duck tape or even Goop not fix it? I was again reminded of this my last year at Southern. A rubber scraper of mine had broken and I got out the "Welder" glue to glue it back together. I applied the smelly glue to the handle and squeezed it together. The next day, expecting it to be fully recovered, I found it tacky still, the plastic didn't adhere together. Hmmm...I'll just put more glue on it. The next day I found that it still hadn't worked. Ohhh! this must be the plastic that doesn't glue! I smiled to myself and rolled my eyes as memories of un-fixable, broken toys were brought to mind.  It made sense.

Just like I take things to my earthly dad to fix, I take things to my Heavenly Father to fix.  "Fix it!  You have to!"  Then I suggest ways for Him to fix it.  "See, just do this, and this and this...There!"  But sometimes He doesn't fix it in the way I want Him to.  Sometimes I don't understand how the parts of life just don't glue together the way I want them to.

I surrender.  So here, God, please fix this the way You want to. And help me to be willing to accept it.  

RSVP :)

What do you, dear readers, think the following statement from The Great Controversy means?  Thoughts welcomed in the "comments" section.

"The message will be carried not so much by argument as by the deep conviction of the Spirit of God. The arguments have been presented. The seed has been sown, and now it will spring up and bear fruit. The publications distributed by missionary workers have exerted their influence, yet many whose minds were impressed have been prevented from fully comprehending the truth or from yielding obedience. Now the rays of light penetrate everywhere, the truth is seen in its clearness, and the honest children of God sever the bands which have held them. Family connections, church relations, are powerless to stay them now. Truth is more precious than all besides. Notwithstanding the agencies combined against the truth, a large number take their stand upon the Lord's side."  {GC 612.2} 

His servants in like manner must go forth to sow.  When called to become a sower of the seed of truth, Abraham was bidden, "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land I will show thee."  Gen. 12:1.  "And he went out, not knowing whither he went."  Heb. 11:8.  So to the apostle Paul, praying in the temple at Jerusalem, came the message from God,  "Depart; for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles."  Acts 22:21.


So those who are called to unite with Christ must leave all, in order to follow Him.  Old associations must be broken up, plans of life relinquished, earthly hopes surrendered.  In toil and tears, in solitude, and through sacrifice, must the seed be sown.

COL 36, 37

Provision

"Watch out for the nettles!" he told me as I went out to pick black raspberries.  As I happened upon the overgrown patch where the berries were, I noticed the nettles.  But I also noticed the touch-me-not.  Touch-me-not is a green plant with orange flowers.  When it forms seed pods, they become more bulging the more mature they get.  When touched, they burst open sending the seeds soaring through the air.  Another use for touch-me-not is for bug bites, poison ivy, and of course, nettles.  When the leaves and stalk are smashed up, one can smear it on the affected area and it works as a natural anti-itch.  We used to smear it on ourselves as kids on mosquito bites when tramping through the woods by the river.  What struck me about the above situation, however, was how there was touch-me-not growing right next to the nettles.  The cure for the ailment was very near.  It reminds me of how God makes provision for us.  He's the touch-me-not to our nettles. 

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Already Not Yet

There is a word which fascinates me very much.  It only has three letters. And depending on which way it is used can mean opposite things.  When a person says it sometimes I have to think twice so as to decipher which meaning they are using:

      Yet. 

      Are you at the store yet?

This could be heard two ways (at least I think only two!).  The first--you are driving down the road in your car.  Your mom calls you on your cell phone.  She says "are you at the store yet?"  Meaning, have you arrived at the store?  The second--you are busy putting 20 cans of black olives in your shopping cart because they are on sale for 89 cents, and you love black olives.  Your cell phone rings.  It's your mom.  You think to yourself, oh, perhaps she needs me to pick up something else at the store!  Mom says "are you at the store yet?"  Meaning, are you at the store still?  Is it just me, or isn't that fascinating!? 

Do you ever wish you could go back in time?

Yesterday "Amber" of the previous post decided to stop studying with me.  There had been a spiritual battle for a few weeks.  After talking with Amber's Adventist neighbor, and guidance from the Holy Spirit, I decided to do a study which puts the heart of God on display.  It's based on David Asscherick's The Heart of God class at ARISE* and also his book God in Pain. The Bible tells us in 1 John 4:8 that God is love.  He is not simply loving but is love.  Once we accurately define love, we can better grasp God's character of love.  For the sake of time while writing this blog (as blogs can take me hours to write) I will be brief.  It all points to the cross.  How do we know that all things work together for good?  (Romans 8:28)  The evidence is the cross.  The very heart of God displayed.  It revealed what was in God's heart from the beginning (Romans 1:16, 17).  I ended with Romans 8:32--"He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"  The cross says that God is for us!  If God has already given everything, why would He then withhold anything?

So I get to Amber's house.  Her dog was sprayed by a skunk (very lightly).  A quick text to my dad solved the proportions for the baking soda and peroxide mixture in which to bathe the dog.  Then Amber told me that she was going to join the Baptist church in town and go to the Bible study before church, and not study with me anymore.  I wasn't surprised, but my heart sank.  I have seen Amber grow by leaps and bounds.  She now has a really good foundation for learning Bible truth.  We chit chatted some more and then I said "well, shall we study?"  We did the study.  She was visibly touched.  And those large, curious eyes which always had frequent eye contact with me were lowered and filled with tears.  At the end she prayed, repeating after me, to have Jesus fully in control of her life.  Bittersweet. 

Warning: this is a rough (as in not polished) blog, because I am writing in haste.  I don't believe there is anything more I could have done to keep Amber studying.  But it makes me angry.  It makes me angry that she will go to the Baptist church and learn about a God who torments people forever in the flames of hell.  That once you're saved you don't have to worry about anything...because you can never fall away.  That suddenly all the believers will disappear in a secret rapture.  I know she knows that is not true because when she watched the "Left Behind" movies she told me how funny they were because it wasn't true.  "People believe that?"  Yes...the church which you are now going to join believes that.  It makes me angry (not the throwing glass bottles against a wall kind) that the lady who I care about so much could possibly be led to deception.  Please join me in prayer that she will remember the things we have studied in the Bible.  That she won't simply believe what the preacher or teacher says.  That something will happen and that she will want to study again.  That she will still have the sincere desire to know truth and most importantly the God who revealed His love in a Savior upon the cross.   

Hanging upon the cross Christ was the gospel.**

*For a full length sermon on the topic visit here, but if you want to experience the full length class then go here :).

**{6BC 1113.1}